LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – More than 200 stakeholders from various government agencies in Pangasinan expressed their commitment to the “Oplan Listo” project of the Department of the Interior and Local Government by signing the pledge of commitment which called for their full support in ensuring the safety and resiliency of the community to face the challenges of a disaster.
The expression of commitment was executed following a planning workshop involving the province’s local chief executives, chiefs-of-police from the Philippine National Police, fire marshals from the Bureau of Fire Protection, Disaster Risk Reduction Management officers and DILG officers held at the Pangasinan Training and Development Center recently.
Spearheaded by the DILG in collaboration with the Pangasinan provincial government, the activity gathered the stakeholders to come up with plans with the main goal of achieving a safer and more resilient community especially in times of disasters or calamities.
DILG Provincial Director Reggie Colisao said the activity is one of the components of the “Operation Listo” project of the DILG calling for proper action and readiness among the people during disasters as well as enhancing the capability of the local communities’ disaster response and mitigation.
Under the project, the DILG has identified various sets of intervention for disaster preparedness that will help reduce the adverse effects of disasters and climate change.
The event also paved the way for the launching of the disaster preparedness manuals (version 2, typhoon edition) distributed to the participants that they will use as guide for everyone in strengthening their preparedness when calamities strike.
The manuals will give information, insights and instructions to the local government units regarding the various measures needed to be done to make sure that the safety of the community is secured.
Colisao said the information shall be cascaded to the other members of the community in order for everyone to achieve a synchronized action of preparedness.
The manuals also provide for a more improved guide for people to follow based on the past experiences and lessons learned during the previous calamity occurrences that caused huge destruction not only to properties but also to people’s lives.
As this developed, Sangguniang Panlalawigan member Nikki Boy Reyes, who spoke in behalf of Gov. Amado T. Espino, Jr. said, the governor is happy over the program even as he instructed the SP to extend the province’s support to the project.
Reyes said the province has provided vehicles to be used in the disaster preparedness activities as a support to the PDRRMC.
He said Pangasinan is fully equipped with the things needed for rescue, retrieval and preparation as he urged all other localities to equip themselves equally to attain the very goal of achieving resiliency which would help us attain reduce destruction in their locality in times of calamity.
By Dexter A. See
